There have been over 700 deaths recorded in South Africa during the first three weeks of the festive season.
This was revealed by the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) during the recent announcement of the provisional festive season road statistics.
According to Chikunga, Gauteng accounted for the highest fatalities with a total of 187, followed by KwaZulu Natal with 135 fatalities and Limpopo accounting for 88.
“It has been glaring that those fatal crashes start increasing after hours from 19H00 to 20H00, followed by 22H00 to 23H00 and in the early hours of the morning between 01H00 and 02H00.”
Chikunga reported a decrease in crashes by 0.8% compared with the same period last year, leading to a 4.3% decline in fatalities.
“In total, 719 fatalities have been recorded in the first three weeks of the festive season compared with 751 in the same period last year,” said Chikunga.
Chikunga said the top five infringements were speeding, driving without fastened seatbelts, driving without a driving license, unlicenced vehicles, and driving vehicles with smooth tires.
